Bhuiyan gets boost from BNP top-shots

BNP’s expelled secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan speaks at a meeting of his followers at a city community centre yesterday.Photo: STAR

A good number of the National Executive Committee (NEC) members and former lawmakers of the BNP yesterday expressed solidarity with expelled secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan.
At a meeting in the city they came down heavily on detained chairperson Khaleda Zia for what they said was her tyrannical way of running the party.
Some of them went on to describe the former premier and her close aides as dishonest and corrupt, and called for their ouster in a counter to the expulsion of Bhuiyan, Ashraf and Tripti.
Over 50 of 251 executive committee members and 63 former lawmakers attended the meeting with Bhuiyan in the chair.
Only those based in the capital were invited to the meet held at a convention centre in Gulshan. Out of 147 Dhaka-based members, 75 are either on the run or behind bars. Besides, some of the ex-lawmakers are members of the NEC as well, since they are either president or general secretary of district units.
The attendees urged Bhuiyan to take the initiative and hold a council to discipline the corrupt high-ups who they believe have proved disastrous for the BNP.
They said leaders and workers alike want drastic changes in policy and programmes and the current "dictatorial leadership".
Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan in his speech said they do not want to split the party by expulsion or counter-expulsion.
"Everyone except those who are corrupt and criminal will unite under our leadership and we will sweep to power again," he said adding that in no way can they afford to let the country get back to the time preceding January 11.
Leaders of the pro-reform group said over 100 NEC members and former lawmakers attended the 'informal meet'.
Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain has termed the meeting illegal. "Mannan Bhuiyan does not belong to the party anymore and so he cannot convene any meeting using the name of the BNP," he said at a press briefing at his NAM apartment.
Such assembly involving the NEC members and former lawmakers without the chairperson's consent is a violation of the BNP constitution, he added.
He renewed his call for the government to withdraw the state of emergency.
Dismissing Brig Gen (retd) Hannan Shah's claim that he is the chief coordinator of the BNP, Delwar said the party constitution does not provide for any such post.
BHUYIAN SPEECH
Addressing the NEC members and former lawmakers, Bhuiyan said the party is going through a difficult patch as it has long deviated from late president Ziaur Rahman's ideals.
Stressing the need for reforms in politics as well as in different organs of the state, he said the state would fail if necessary reforms are not carried out.
"They have expelled me, Ashraf and Tripti only because we sought an elected and collective leadership, and transparency at all levels," he observed.
Denouncing the expulsion orders as undemocratic, he said that the rank and file would never accept those.
He said they do not want division; rather they want patience and understanding to form the bedrock of the party operations. He claimed that most of the NEC members are in favour of moulding the BNP into a democratic organisation through reforms.
"We represent not only the BNP but also the nationalist force and we will ensure the right of the people on return to power through winning the next election," he said.
"We don't believe in counter-expulsion when most of the partymen are with us," noted Bhuiyan, also a former LGRD and cooperative minister.
Participants chanted slogans at intervals throughout the speech of Bhuiyan.
Fazlul Azim, a former lawmaker, in his speech demanded expulsion of those who are responsible for the party's being under the "present appalling conditions".
Ali Newaz Khaiyam said everybody is criticising Khaleda Zia for her decision to expel the secretary general.
"The way she has been running the organisation over the years has in fact led the BNP to its worst political debacle," former lawmaker SA Sultan Titu said. He asked Bhuiyan for immediate measures to hold council and take action against the crooked leaders.
Rustom Ali Farazi said most of the ministers in the previous government had abused the power.
Former state minister Ebadur Rahman Chowdhury said they would seek to materialise the ideals of Ziaur Rahman with Mannan Bhuiyan at the helm.
Among others, Major (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed, Mofazzal Karim, MA Hakim, ZA Khan, City Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Ashraf Hossain, Shah Mohammad Abu Zafar, Sultan Mahmud Babu, Brig (retd) Anwar Hossain, Shahiduzzaman Beltu, Abu Abbas, Col (retd) Anwarul Azim, Engineer Shamsuddin Ahmed, Asadul Habib Dulu, Nitai Chandra Roy, Dhirendranath Saha, Shafi Ahmed Chowdhury, GM Siraj, Kazi Rafiqul Islam, Dewan Salahuddin Babu, Zahiruddin Swapan and Mofiqul Hasan Tripti were present.